Tag: tips

Categories
Travel

Traveling for a Work Trip

Hello everyone! Happy April, Happy Wednesday, Happy Day!

There are so many things to be happy about. I hope you are having a fantastic week and have something to look forward to!Ā I have a busy weekend ahead with lots of spring fun. Tis the season for all the outdoor fun (when the weather cooperates)

Last month, I traveled for a week for a big work project, it was a success and I grew a lot both personally and professionally. I learned a lot along the way when it comes to packing and planning. Here are some things that I learned while traveling for an extended amount of time for work. You can also apply a lot of these tricks for traveling for long vacations or to see family, but I have a feeling your needs may be a little different depending on your trip. Here’s some helpful planning and packing tips.

  • Make Two Separate Lists- One list for all personal items or things to bring and the other for work items and keep the lists separate. I love my notes app and use it multiple times a day to refer to different things. Whenever I am going on a trip, I will start a new note for that trip and keep all the to-do’s, lists, notes, and reminders there. This way they are all in one spot that accessible to me wherever I go.Ā  Create a list of all the personal items you need or want to bring; think clothes, accessories, toiletries, items for your purse, odds and ends etc. Then create a second list for any special work items you need or want to bring from work or home; think chargers, work laptops, planners, equipment, things from your desk drawer or items you may need specifically for that trip. This helps keep you organized for extra items you may need and it also keeps everything in order. Also, be sure to keep track of any receipts or expenses you may need to write up at the end of the trip.
An example of one of my lists for personal items
  • Separate your Work and Personal Items by Bag or Pouch– If you are traveling with lots of extra work items, try to keep them separate in their own pouch or bag. This makes packing and unpacking easier and it makes it easier when you are doing a recon to make sure you have everything. When I traveled for work, I had all my equipment and work gear in bags separate from my purse and suitcase. It made it so much easier for packing and unpacking for what went home and to work. I also used my Simplified pouches to separate my chargers, headphones, notebooks and pens. I highly recommend using pouches or smaller bags to keep things organized.

I love my Simplified pouches
A look at all my work and personal bags
  • Bring your Favorite Snacks or Sweet Treats. If you are on the go or may have some downtime, bring the taste of home with you with your favorite snacks. I also like to pack something sweet or salty and snack packs that travel well (think protein bars, trail mix etc.). You may not be eating your regular meals so having something filling and something you enjoy is important, plus if you have a sweet tooth like me, ending your day with something sweet is never a bad idea.
I love to bring a taste of home with me
  • Bring Extra Items, but Pack Smart-You never know where the job may take you. Always pack an extra outfit, hair spray, hair ties, chargers etc. You never know when something could do wrong and the last thing you want is to not be prepared especially when it comes to work. I also found traveling with extra Ziploc baggies is so helpful for corralling items like chargers or snacks, and can be thrown away. I always like to triple check to make sure I have everything, but when it comes to work, there’s nothing wrong with packing more to make sure you don’t forget anything ahead of a big project or presentation. Also, be sure to pack smart, choose outfits that can be mixed and matches, colors that complement each other and when it comes to makeup, try to switch up your routine and minimize it by only bringing on pallet instead of multiple, or use travel brushes instead of your large ones. This saves on space and forgetting about things.
I used one pallet for my cheeks and eyes, so easy and a brush with two different sizes
  • Bring/Do Things that Make You Feel Like You– If you are going to be gone for an extended amount of time, bring things that make you feel your best especially if you have down time. Chances are you won’t be working 24/7 and you may have some downtime. If you are in the middle of a great book, bring it with you, if you love to workout, pack your gym clothes and see if your hotel has a gym to use. Do some research about the place you are going to and see if there’s any good restaurants to try or things to do if you have down time. When I traveled for work, getting in some movement every day and doing my morning and evening routine by reading and journaling helped me stay grounded when I was on the road.
I loved getting movement in every day

I’m by no means an expert traveler or work traveler, but these are some tips that I found to be extremely useful when I was traveling and I think they can be used whether you are out of town for work or play.

If you travel a lot for work, what’s your travel advice? Do you have any tips or tricks you would like to share. I would love to hear them! Have a great Wednesday and I’ll see you back here on Friday for another edition of Friday Favorites!

Categories
Fabulous living

Kitchen Aid Review

Hey guys! Happy Wednesday! I hope you had a great first weekend of March. 

I have been doing a lot of experimenting in the kitchen with different recipes. For example, this is one of my latest recipes I made; chicken, sausage, peppers, onions and potatoes in a one pan skillet.Ā It was DELICIOUS and the best part? So many leftovers!

I love the art of baking and cooking and love trying new things. Itā€™s also a skill that I want to continue to get better at as I get older. I have been starting to invest in different pieces of kitchen equipment.Ā 

Another recipe I tried, open faced quesadilla! Healthy and tasty!

I got a Kitchen Aid for Christmas and couldnā€™t wait to try it out.Ā 

I recently used it to make cookies and cupcakes and wanted to share with you my thoughts on it. Iā€™m still getting comfortable with it, so this is just a starter review.

First, I love the bright, red color of a red kitchen aid. It has been my dream color, so I was already on cloud nine.

I found the mixer super easy to figure out and navigate, I referenced the manual just to get a feel for it, but everything was pretty self explanatory, especially when it comes to the switches, knobs and attachments.

You can get dozens of different attachments to help make different recipes. I got two different mixers that you can attach for various recipes. 

For example, this attachment works better with thicker batter or butter based recipes.

On the other hand, this attachment works better for a liquid based batter or oil based.

Itā€™s super easy to clean and put on and take off the different attachments.Ā 

The only issue has been that the on and off switch took a second to work, but once it did, it was working flawless.

Iā€˜ve only made a few recipes so far, but I have been pleased with how itā€™s worked.Ā 

The finished product!

I canā€™t wait to try new recipes and use it for more dishes besides cookies and cupcakes.Ā 

The Kitchen Aid made baking them so much easier!

If you have any recipes that I enjoy using your Kitchen Aid for let me know in the comments below! 

Happy cooking and baking!

Categories
Fun Ways to Organize

Spring Cleaning

Hello all! Happy Wednesday!

The days are getting longer, the sun is setting later, and we are having more days that are warmer rather than freezingā€¦thereā€™s nothing quite like spring.Ā I can hardly wait for next month!

Ever since the start of the new year I have been in cleaning and organizing mode. From closets, to cabinets, under beds and all around the house. I tossed and donated A LOT! I first blamed it on being coped up in the winter and wanting to get things tidied up after the holidays. Then I said I was getting my spring cleaning out of the way. Once I started, I couldnā€™t stop. The one thing I didnā€™t do was take any before or after picturesā€¦blogger fail. So I apologize for the lack or pictures in this post.

If you are on the fence about doing some spring cleaning or need that extra push to get it done, I hope this post serves as that motivation.

Hereā€™s some tips and tricks for spring cleaning:

  • Start small
    • It can get overwhelming to start cleaning and organizing. Donā€™t get too stressed out about the mess or clutter, instead break it up. Start with a closet one afternoon or cabinets one night.Ā Ā For example, I did my closet on Sunday after work, then the following week, I worked on organizing shoes and donating ones that didnā€™t fit. The following week, I went through my drawers. I broke it up when I had the time and I worked on small areas. I had a sense of accomplishment at the end of each task but wasnā€™t burnt out after a mass undertaking of non-stop cleaning.
  • Make a List
    • If you canā€™t get to everything in one day or even one month, keep a running list of things of things you want to tackle. Sometimes I would be going about my day and would see a cabinet that needs organized or tidied up, if I didnā€™t have the time to tackle that in that moment, I jotted it down to clean it out when I had the time. I had a list to refer to when I had time to clean or organize and then it was always good to see how far you have come with organizing.
  • Use It or Lose it Rule
    • This is a question I ask myself if Iā€™m on the fence about getting rid of something. There are some things I know can be an easy decision to donate or toss. But then thereā€™s the other things that may be harder to decide to donate or keep. The first question I ask myself is ā€œHave I used or worn this in the past year?ā€, yes, the pandemic makes it tricky, but if I have used or worn it then I keep, if I havenā€™t then I reconsider. The second question I ask myself is “If I keep it, will I use it within the next few months?”, if the answer is yes, then I keep it and I do my best to use or wear it. This is another way to make sure you are using or wearing what you have.
  • Donā€™t buy organizational tools while you are in the thick of it.
    • This is easier said than done. It can be easy to be cleaning something and then think, ā€œI need to buy a new bin or desk organizer”. Hold off on buying a new tool or item, instead see what you must use. For example, for the longest time, I thought I needed a new jewelry box. I hunted for one for a while, but kept coming up empty handed. I went through my jewelry and ended up getting rid of things that were broken or I hadnā€™t worn and was able to reorganize my jewelry and turns out I didnā€™t need a new jewelry box. Thatā€™s another benefit of cleaning or reorganizing, you find new purposes for old things.

Those are just a few ideas or tips when it comes to spring cleaning. I have spent a lot of time over the past few months cleaning, tidying and reorganizing and it has been so nice to see more clean and empty spaces around my house and room. For those who enjoy spring cleaning and organizing, what are your top tips for cleaning? Drop them below!